Alex at it again
by Seyi
Summary: Alex Mann and team extreme haven't heard from X in months. What's up with that? Where is he? And more importantly, what is he up to? Please, R&R!
1. Bored

Disclaimer: Fox owned them, but kicked them to the curb, so I'm adopting them as a result.

Rating: Um………PG-13. At least for now. I'll let you know.

"AAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEXXXXXXXXXXXXX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Alex Mann glanced over his shoulder yawned. "What, Fidget?"

"It's Rikki! He won't- auughhh!!!!"

Alex turned around in his bunk just in time to see the slight, flying form of Fidget Wilson hurl itself into his room. She tumbled to the floor, her short, spiky red hair in more disarray than usual, her eyes snapping.

"What is it _now, _Fidge?" he asked, mildly. She opened her mouth to speak, but was instantly silenced by Rikki Singh-Banes, who galloped in behind her and actually _tackled _her. "Leggo! Ouch!! Give it back!" The two rolled out of the doorway in an enormous tangle of limbs.

Should I even bother? Alex thought for a moment, then got to his feet and entered the main cabin of the Big Air. The two were still on the floor, now screaming at each other. Fidget was on top of Rikki, and she had him in a vicious chokehold.

"How dare you! Have you no respect for your manager? And get _off_ me!!"

"I would if I _had_ one! Besides, it must be weird to have a female on top of you, isn't it?"

"I beg your _pardon?"_

"You deaf? I said, It must be weird to have-"

"I heard you the first time!"

"So why'd you ask me again? Stone-deaf…..rock!"

"Redheaded chit!"

"Aaarrghh!"

"Aaarrghh!"

"Are you both children?" Grinder's clipped British accent cut through the air like a knife. He turned from his computer and glared at the two of them. "I've been trying to play this game for over an hour, and I can't concentrate because of you two!"

"But, he-"

"Don't listen to her! She-"

"ENOUGH!!!"

Interfere now, or sit back and dig the cartoons? His decision wasn't too hard to make. Besides, Grinder was starting to look _really _pissed, and the British guy NEVER lost his cool. This might actually make for an entertaining afternoon.

_"Now,"_ Grinder was saying through clenched teeth, "Go to your rooms. And don't come out till I say when."

Rikki protested first, naturally. "What am I, a kid? I can-"

_"Go!"_

Rikki went. And after shooting Grinder a half-apologetic look, so did Fidget.

Grinder turned around just in time to see Alex standing in the doorway, struggling not to laugh out loud. He rolled his eyes slightly and turned back to Solitaire. "What's going on, mate?"

Alex walked over to him and sat down, staring at the computer screen. "Move the king."

"Not yet-"

"Trust me, you should."

After arguing over the game for about ten minutes, both men fell into silence. 

"Grinder?"

"Yeah, A-Man?"

"What's on the schedule for next week?"

Grinder sighed and brought up the virtual planner on the screen. "Let's see….you have an appearance at the New York winter X-Games in Long Island, New York on Tuesday- nothing huge, just a warm-up act. On Wednesday, you've got a wine tasting with mayor Bloomburg, and then you're scheduled to see some Broadway show with him. Friday, you've got to give some kid in Nevada a skateboarding lesson that he won in that Powerade Sweepstakes Rikki set up."

Alex sat back and rolled his eyes. "Slow week," he said.

"Got that right." Grinder stood up and stretched. "So. Want to play another game and keep an eye on the autopilot, or want to help me and Fidge do laundry?" 

Alex grimaced at the thought of doing laundry. "Game."

"Later." Grinder walked out of the cabin. "Fidget! You're un-grounded!"

Alex turned to the computer screen and played for a few minutes, then grew bored. He sat back in his chair and began to doodle on one of Grinder's memo pads with a large-felt tip marker.

It had been almost six months since Team Extreme's last run-in with their arch-nemisis, Dr. X, and there had been no signs of life from Tempest, Asazi, and Blaze, his cronies. Competition after competition of extreme sports had taken place, and Dr. X hadn't appeared at any one of them to pull his usual super athlete-swiping routine.

Team Extreme had at first been relieved, then suspicious, then wary, and finally….bored. It felt completely weird to go to competitions and only…..compete. Alex's amp factor had gone almost completely to waste, as he had no reason to use it any more, and Fidget and Grinder had taken to stunt flying in the Big Air on the weekends, just for kicks. Even Simon Grey had stopped calling to check in.

Alex couldn't fathom why Dr. X had so suddenly disappeared from off the map. He hadn't been arrested or killed, and he CERTIANLY hadn't reformed. Alex would have heard about THAT. 

The guy had to be planning something. But what? And where _was_ he? It wasn't like X to disappear for more than a couple of months at a time.

Alex sat back in his seat and closed his eyes, sleep about to take over. 

All of a sudden, he heard a thump.

Leaping to his feet, his eyes scanned the room for the source- and them he saw it, on the radar screen. A small jet- apparently armed- was approaching Big Air.

"So that's where he's been all this time," Alex muttered. "Grind! Fidget! Rikki! Emergency!"

Grinder ran into the room, wielding a bottle of bleach, followed by Fidget, who was carrying an armful of delicates, and Rikki. Grinder's eyes grew wide when he saw the radar, and he dashed for his seat, taking the controls, dropping the Clorox on his lap. "They're right on our tail, whoever they are," he muttered. ****

"Swoop around and up," Alex suggested.

"We don't have enough altitude or time. If they want to take us down, they can do it in a matter of seconds."

Rikki squinted at the radar. "They're getting closer."

Grinder twisted the steering stick in his hand. He looked calm, though his eyes were panicked. "Fidge," he said, quietly, "fire up Little Air. Take Rick with you. Alex, stay here- I might need some help." He rubbed his eyes and reached for the control panel, typing with his left hand and steering with his right.

"Computer," he said into the voice-activation box, "initiate the shield."

"Shield initiated," confirmed the staccato computer voice.

Alex sucked in his breath. The Shield was an emergency lockdown procedure, one that was only to be used in extreme emergencies. They would have liked to see of this plane was enemy or friend, or if they had merely wandered into commercial or military-training airspace, but they couldn't take that chance.  It would make the Big Air disappear from conventional radar for a full ten minutes- hopefully long enough for them to make their escape. It had been developed for them specifically by Diana's contacts in the CIA, and had one downside- a

after initiation, the aircraft was powerless to move for thirty seconds.

_Anything_ could happen in thirty seconds.

Grinder and Alex sat, almost motionless, watching the clock. For now, they were shrouded from view. But they still had to make their getaway. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, Alex registered the sound of Little Air's engines being fired up. Fidget was ready to go.

Just as the clock hit twenty-three seconds, Alex heard another thump. He looked up at the ceiling , and saw the escape hatch beginning to pop open. Someone was on top of it.

Grinder and Alex moved in the same instant. Alex ran to the escape hatch, standing under it in a fighting stance. Grinder tossed him one of the cabin's emergency pistols, and ran back to his chair as the clock cleared sixty. "Hang on!"  

Alex struggled to keep his footing as the plane lurched sideways, and then upward in an attempt to knock the intruder off.

The rattling of the hatch continued.

"What is he, bloody Spiderman?" Grinder continued to swerve dangerously, but the rattling continued, the bolts holding the door becoming looser. "Grinder! What the hell?" Fidget's panicked voice echoed over the intercom through to the cabin.

Grinder ignored the call. Biting his lip, he pulled the plane in- and in a last-effort attempt to shake the person off, flipped the plane over completely. Alex grabbed on to the metal bar on the wall closest to him, sliding almost to the floor.

The hatch popped open.

Alex leapt to his feet, but a sudden lurch of the plane-Grinder was still trying to keep it under control- dumped him on the ground. A young woman, still clinging to the door like a monkey, tumbled into the main cabin and landed squarely on top of Alex.

Grinder stabilized the plane.

Alex scrambled to his feet, taking the young woman with him, and thanking God for their low altitude- if they'd been any higher, they'd have been sucked clean out of the plane. He turned to the woman, keeping her in a tight chokehold. "Who are you? Who are you working for?"

To his surprise, she didn't answer any of his questions. Instead, her eyes were fixed on Grinder, who was wiping sweat from his forehead and typing in commands for a new hatch to be released form the ceiling.

"Desmond?"

Grinder looked up, shocked, and his eyes met hers. Then, they widened in shock. "Lex?" He leaped to his feet and dashed for her, throwing his arms around their supposed enemy and lifting her clean off the floor, after she was released by a _very _surprised Alex.

_"Whhaaaattt?"_ he said.

Will update and reveal identity of "lex" when I get reviewed! Please, review!! Don't know as much about Action Mann as much as others (unfortunately, I started watching it soon before it got cut off) but I would appreciate it if one of you reviewers would give me a bit of a background on Blaze, the gangrene guy, and Asazi. Make it as detailed as possible. Thanks! 


	2. Alexis

Disclaimer: Fox owned them, but kicked them to the curb, so I'm adopting them as a result.

Rating: Um………PG-13. At least for now. I'll let you know.

****Author's note****

I made a mistake on the previous chapter when I mentioned "Blaze." **Please disregard**. Blaze is a fictional member of another fic, and since I was writing it at two in the morning after reading the (excellent, BTW) fic, I typed in "Blaze" instead of "Quake", that janitor who got trapped in X's earthquake suit. Thank you all for your concerns.  And for the reviewer that thought that Rikki and Fidget were acting a bit out of character (i.e., more childish than usual), I did that to merely emphasize the degree of boredom that they are going through. Maybe I went a bit over the top, but when _you're_ completely bored, you can act almost anyhow, _oui__?_

"I cannot _believe _I didn't recognize you!" Alex said for the third time, handing Alexis "Lex" Sinclair a Big Mac.  The girl had 'dropped in' on them from a small skydiving plane, propelling herself through the sky with the aid or a maneuverable parachute. Now she was sitting with them in the bedroom of a LA Holiday Inn, enjoying an impromptu picnic with the others on the floor and bed.

Alexis looked nothing like Grinder at first glance, but as Alex looked at her more, he saw the resemblances, as well as the differences between the siblings. They both had sharp, angular faces with high, high cheekbones and full lips, and both shared flawless cinnamon-colored skin and light-brown eyes, framed by long lashes. 

Unlike her older brother, who was tall and skinny, Alexis was short and slim, her body type resembling Grinder's only in her legs. They were long and slim, with thick, corded muscles evident even under her loose jeans. _That_ was a feat. She was only five feet tall (three inches shorter than Fidget, for that matter) barely reaching even Rikki's shoulder, and…leggy. Her hair was dark brown, a layered, chin-length, razor-cut style, and she sported a light brown streak that fell over one eye. She looked younger than twenty-one.  

"You sure gave us a scare, little sis." Grinder leaned back in his chair and grinned, then dug into the overflowing McDonald's bag and extracted his own sandwich. "I thought Alex was going to have a coronary when I gave you a hug."

"What did you expect me to think?" Alex retorted, laughing. "She drops in through the emergency hatch like Evil-freakin'-Kenival, and you run and _hug_ her! For a minute, I thought that X had turned you mutant again."

"_I_ was the one closest to having a coronary. You did some crazy flying, Desmond," Alexis put in. "I was hanging on to that door for dear life. Lord, I was scared. _And_ you owe me a new pair of trousers." Her light-blue skydiving pants had ripped clean up the leg when she fell in the plane, and she was now wearing a pair of Fidget's cargoes, army-green overdyed jeans with the letters "Miss Understood," marching down and around the left leg.

"You can say that again." Fidget, who was sitting on the bunk next to Alexis, was munching on French fries and playing with the Hot Wheels car from Vinnie's Happy Meal. "I swear, I was watching my entire funeral on the back of my eyelids."

"Funeral, my foot." Rikki glared up at Grinder from his position on the rug, where he was flipping through the Team Extreme account book. His chicken nuggets sat in front of him, untouched. In his current state, he couldn't even eat. "The plane is what _I_ was worried about. Lex, you must have been crazy, leaping on it like that. Thank God it wasn't damaged! Do you have _any_ idea-"

_"How much _it could have _cost_ us_?"_ the entire group chimed in with him at the end, then cracked up.

"I'm thrilled you find this so amusing," Rikki huffed. "And Fidge- Vinnie's eating my fries!"

"Oh, lighten up, Rick," Grinder gave him a good-natured grin as Fidget hurried to rescue Vinnie. "It's over now, and nobody got hurt, right?"

"Not unless you count the main cabin," Fidget glanced out the window at the plane, wrinkling her nose. "I think it's gonna smell like bleach for a while."

"True," Grinder agreed ruefully. In his excitement to see his sister, he'd accidentally dropped the bottle of bleach he had in his lap. The plastic had split, spilling the liquid all over the floor. Even after a vigorous rinse, the plane had smelled so strongly that they'd finally made an emergency landing to air it out, rented a couple of hotel rooms for the night, then hit the nearest burger joint.

"I'm sorry for making so much trouble," Alexis said. "It was vital that I contact Team Extreme at once, but there was some unauthorized activity going on with the computer that blocked all my messages." She looked at Alex and Grinder.

They looked at each other. "Solitaire," muttered Grinder.

"Whatever." Alexis shook her head. "Anyway, the FBI spotted Azasi in Nashville a few days ago and tracked her for a while, but lost her. They handed the intel over to us, and I was told to-"

"Wait," Fidget interrupted. "Who's 'us?'"

"The CIA." Alexis, replied, matter-of-factly.

"You've got to be kidding me."

"Nope."

"'Bout time the CIA went after X," Grinder said approvingly. Then he did a double take. "Wait. You _work_ for the CIA? Like, an agent?" When Alexis nodded, he fell back in shock. "I thought you just did desk work in one of the London branches!"

"That was a front, big bro. I've been an agent for years."

"Were you an agent when we met you?" Alex asked, referring to Grinder's birthday bash the year before. They had all flown into London for the event, which Alexis had been running.

"Not a full agent. I was pretty much just finishing up my third training year, though."

The group stared at her in abject silence. _This_ was certainly a new development.

"So," Fidget broke the silence and asked slowly, "Why are you here?"

Alexis crossed her legs and rested her palms on her thighs. "The CIA has never been closer to catching Dr. X than now," she replied.  "We have a location on him, though it isn't exact, and we have intel that suggests he'd planning something major."  
"It's always something major with X," said Fidget, disgustedly. "So what do we have to do?"

Alexis sighed. "It's pretty complicated, actually. The CIA is concerned that his plans involve something that will affect the welfare of the entire planet. Something akin to what he did to your friend Brandon, or the Paris incident, or that whole "freeze" fiasco- but on a much larger, long-term scale. He isn't planning sudden, vicious attacks anymore."

"That's true," Alex said, slowly.

"We fear that his seclusion is an indication that he is planning something massive- something more foolproof than anything he has ever done."

"Again, I ask," Fidget said, "what do we have to do?"

"I'll be frank with you. We want to use Alex to draw him out of his hiding place, wherever it is."

"So, basically, you want to use us as human bait." Fidget's brow was furrowed.

"Well- yeah, if you put it that way." Alexis didn't even wince at Fidget's description. "Once we I.D. his location, we'll fly Alex  there- with heavy CIA backup, of course- and- well, draw him out. Team Extreme's experiences with X are very advantageous to our catching him. We need your help."

"If I got a quarter for every time I heard that…" Grinder muttered.

"No offense to the CIA or anything," Rikki said, hoisting himself up into a sitting position, "but your plan sounds pretty weak. X is never going to fall for that."

"Yes, he will. You see, his plans _involve_ Alex."

"How so?"

Alexis shrugged. "No one knows for sure. Our intel contains records that show that X was collaborating with German scientists, among some of the best in the world, and he kidnapped one of them, a Geoff Muller. He was a genetic scientist that was famous for allegedly cloning a set of triplets in Austria."

"I heard about that!" Rikki shook his head, then shivered. "Freaky story. You can do anything with sperm and a test tube nowadays."

Alexis nodded. "This is true. And that's why the CIA is worried. I'm sure you all know that Dr. X considers Alex to be perfect athletically and mentally, and he knows about his "amp" factor."

"How did _you_ know about my amp factor?" Alex asked, suspiciously.

"Sweetie," Alexis said, giving him a superior look, "the CIA knows everything. Anyway, our concern is that X's obsession with the perfect human race is driving him to create a genetically perfect human being- perhaps to alter the DNA of athletes to match your own. Alex, you are- or rather, your DNA is a target."

"This is really starting to sound like a bad Saturday night movie," muttered Rikki, flicking a lock of black hair out of his eyes and finally reaching for his nuggets.

"I wish it were." Alexis looked at the group. "So, are you in?"

"Does Diana know about this?" Alex asked.

"She does, a little- but other than her, you can't discuss it with anybody. It's vital that X not know that the CIA is on to him. That's why _I _was sent on this mission, in case you're being monitored. I'm Grinder's sister, so I have a cover story."

Alex looked around at the assembled group. "So," he said, "are we in or not?"

"Whuddya, _kidding_ me?" Fidget sat up and rake one hand through her red, spiky hair. "I am _so_ in."

"Count me in, mate." Grinder also agreed.

"I suppose so, since it's for the good of the country, and might get us more endorsements in the long run…." that was Rikki, of course.

Even Vinnie didn't look too displeased at the prospect.

"I guess we're in," Alex said with a smile.

"Brilliant!" Alexis put her food down and leaned forward, eager to share the inside details of their plan. "Operation Cross the X-"

"_Cross _the_ X?"_

"The CIA picks out the blasted code names, not me! Stop laughing, Fidget. Anyway, Operation Cross the X is hereby in effect." She reached into her parachute knapsack and pulled out four slim folders, handing each member one. "This is how it's gonna go….."

REVIEW PLEASE!!! I realize this chapter may have seemed a bit slow, but I thought it was important to 'set the scene.' Now the story can REALLY get rolling. Please review, and I'll update soon!


	3. Tracking down X

Disclaimer: do not own, will not steal, do not sue, do not kill.

Rating: PG-13, I guess…..

"I feel ridiculous." 

"Oh, _please_." Alexis rolled her eyes. "You think this is ridiculous? You should see some of the things I've had to wear while on cases. I mean, once I went undercover as a drag queen. A _male drag queen._I looked like RuPaul. And I'm a girl."

"I don't care. I still feel ridiculous."

Alexis smirked. "You look good, though."

Alex gave her an evil look. He was wearing loose white pants over black silk boxers, a tight black leather t-shirt that ended at his navel, and a white suit jacket with the arms scrunched up, eighties-style. Cuff bracelets on both wrists and a huge, crystal-studded chain around his neck completed the look, as well as did a shaggy, black-tipped platinum-blonde wig, black-painted fingernails, and a large diamond pinky ring.

"Shut up."

"_What_? I look weirder."  

"That's true." He eyed Alexis critically. She was dressed in a short, tight black pleather minidress strained over a fake pregnancy belly, black stilettos, and a faux fur wrap. Her head was covered with a mass of black curls, courtesy of a Diana Ross-style wig, and huge silver hoop earrings.  "Why the stomach?"

"You'll see." She stood on her toes and inserted a small device into his ear, pulling a few strands of hair down from the wig to cover it. "This is a listening device. Activate it by using the silver stud on your left cuff bracelet. When you want to talk, your chain will pick up the sound- it's very sensitive. You don't have to yell or raise your voice- I'll hear you. The second stud on the bracelet adjusts the volume."

Alex nodded, and the two headed for the door. Alexis paused at the doorknob. "_And," _she said, "try to look natural, okay? This is _Amsterdam_. Anything goes. Plus, we're going to a fetish club. You'll fit right in."

"Got it, girl."

The two left the bedroom and began the long walk down to the lobby, Alex mentally going over their plans for the evening. 

After signing a number of release and confidentiality forms, Team Extreme had formally become cohorts with the CIA, and Alexis Sinclair had laid before them all intel that they were privy to in the quest to find and destroy X.  All the CIA had managed to uncover, as far as X's whereabouts, had been a small, wrinkled gold business card that had the name of a seedy club in Amsterdam printed on it, recovered from Dr. X's abandoned Los Angeles laboratory- wedged in the corner of a garbage disposal bin. And after three weeks of intensive CIA field training, Team Extreme was in top form.

At first, the CIA had been puzzled. What was this business card doing lying in an otherwise impeccably cleaned lab, sporting the name of a club that lay in the heart of one of the filthiest holes in Amsterdam? What did X have to do with it? Was it a dead lead?

However, as the CIA pondered the question, it began to make sense- X, fearing that his medical and genetic research would prove too suspicious in the United States or in one of Europe's more advanced countries, searched for a place to continue his experiments. Amsterdam was the perfect place. Small, out-of-sight, and awash with all kinds of criminal and immoral activity, it would serve as a perfect hiding place. Plus, the CIA had a concrete piece of information linking X to the club.

When Azasi had been spotted in Nevada, under the alias Louise Browning, she was conducting a transaction involving the purchase of that very club that had been on the business card.

Plus, a satellite scan of the building had revealed two subbasements not featured in the original blueprints.

The pieces of the puzzle were connecting, and the CIA was moving in on that one lead.

Hopefully, it wouldn't be an elaborate _trap._

Alex shook off his thoughts as the two of them entered the living room of the Amsterdam CIA safe house that they were residing in, under the cover story of having gone to Belgium for a skateboard competition. The rest of Team Extreme was sprawled out on the furniture in the room, undoubtedly waiting for the two. Their expressions when they walked inside were priceless.

Fidget recovered first and began to speak, her shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter. "Took you long enough to get here. Love the shirt, Alex. Think I could borrow it sometime? It's around my size." 

"Cut it out, Fidge." Alex gave her a put-out look and attempted to pull the hem of the shirt down to cover his abs, much to her amusement.

Grinder's eyebrows almost hit his hairline, but then he chuckled. "Going to make a honest woman out of my little sis, eh, A-Mann?"  he teased, obviously more than a little amused. "Love the hair, though."

"Very 'artist formerly known as prince' –ish." Rikki joined in. He was _howling_.

"Leave him alone," Alexis said, laughing. "C'mon, we've got to get going. Everyone remember the plan?"

"_Jahwol__, mein Fraulein_!"  Fidget got to her feet and clicked her heels, giving Alexis a stiff salute.

"Cool, Fidge, but they speak Dutch here, not German." The two began cracking up. "Seriously, though, let me outline it one more time. Alex and I will go undercover into the club and see what we can find. You guys will be outside the club in two Ford Focus'- black for me, white for Alex to match his suit. We'll report whatever we find. You guys will be connected to us inside via headphone, you know the drill. If we need backup at any time, you contact the CIA safehouse."

"Okay, got it!"

"Then let's roll!"

The team split up- Fidget in the white car with a backup agent, Grinder in the black car with all the computer equipment and a second CIA agent  and Rikki bringing up the rear in a small, unmarked vehicle parked across the street from the club- the "last resort" getaway car.

Alex and Alexis approached the club from different angles, meeting in line, not even looking at each other. 

"Good luck," he heard in his headpiece, making him jump slightly. Even after all that training, he still wasn't used to wearing one.

"Same to you," he muttered into his collar.

"Faline out." She named her code name, and her voice disappeared with a slight static cackle.

Alex moved up in line, trying to look inconspicuous, and in his bizarre outfit, blended in more naturally than he'd ever thought he would. Everyone was wearing some type of leather, and the exposed skin and multiple piercings being flashed about made _him_ look like a monk in comparison. He repeated his alias to himself like a mantra: Stanley Judd, third-year student at AUM, on break in Amsterdam to party and have some fun. Looking for cheap hash, cheaper girls and a good time. He headed for the entrance, trying to instigate a swagger in his walk. Arranging his features in an expression that screamed "spoiled American brat," he sauntered up to the door and dangled his I.D. card in front of the bouncer, who looked like a small mountain of black tuxedo at his post.

"I.D?" he growled. Then he said something in Dutch.

"Ik spreek het geen Netherlands," he said in a bored tone.

The guard rolled his eyes and repeated himself in heavily accented English. "Go ahead. Keep out of trouble. Stupid Americans," he added as an afterthought, waving Alex by.

Alex just shook his head. Once inside, he activated his headpiece and instantly heard rustling. Ducking into a corner where there were some very….sundry activities going on, he spoke. "Amp man to Faline."

"You're loud and clear, Amp man."

"I'm inside."

"Good. Just wander around, and end up at the bar. I'll meet you there. Then we'll see if this place has a basement."

"Copy."

Alex strolled around, hands in pockets, then ventured onto the dance floor in an attempt to blend in. Moving cautiously to the techno beat (he really was more of a rock 'n roll kind of guy), he stumbled when somebody bumped into him. 

"Sorry, honey," said a low, husky voice with a French accent.

"No problem." Alex dusted off his palms and looked up. A stunning, voluptuous blonde in a sequined dress winked down at him, a conspirator's smile on her face.

Alex gasped. "Diana?!?!"

She pressed a finger against her lips and smiled again, disappearing into the crowd. Alex sprang to his feet, intending to follow her, but was stopped by Alexis' voice, viciously cutting through the headset. "Alex- are you crazy? Don't go after her!"

"But- it's Diana! She's here!"

"She's _undercover_, Alex. You practically blew her cover! The place is crawling with agents." 

"Oh." Alex felt certifiably stupid. "Sorry."

Alexis sighed, then chuckled. "Amateur. Anyway, remember- meet me at the bar."

"Got you." He headed for the bar.

Sure enough, Alexis was sitting on a bar stool, nursing a seltzer water. Alex sat beside her and ordered a shot of tequila. "Hello," he said to her with a smile. "Spreekt u het Engels?"

"Yes, I do," she said in a picture-perfect Dutch accent. "What can I do for you?"

"Just talk to me, baby." he said, giving her his best sleazy college-guy look. 

She gave him a sardonic smile and turned slightly in her seat, showing him her "pregnant" belly. 

"Oh…." Lord, I should get an Oscar. "Sorry, ma'am."

"No harm done, dear. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Can you show me where the bathroom is?"

Of course. I'm on my way myself." 

The two got off the barstools and headed for the back. As soon as they exited the crowd, Alexis was all business. "Grinder," she said crisply, I need a security hack into this place. Deactivate all systems and give us an outline of any breaks."

"I'm on it, sis."

"Fidget, inform our surrounding agents that we're moving in."

"Roger." 

"Rikki?"

"Yeah?" 

"Stay put for now, but alert us immediately as to any untoward activity outside."

"Consider it done."

Alexis grabbed Alex by the lapels and yanked him into what looked like a boiler room, jamming the door with her clutch. She immeadiatly whipped her dress over her head. "Help me out here!"

Alex moved quickly to her side. Underneath the dress, she was wearing cropped black shorts and a matching top, and the pregnancy replica stomach. Alex helped her undo the straps, and eased it off her body. She laid it on the floor, pulled a thin metal blade encased in plastic from the inside of her top, and carefully made and incision in the belly.

"What are you doing?"

"Just wait." She made a long, smooth single cut, then pulled the sides apart.

Inside the belly were all kinds of weapons.

"Oh, wow." Alex said softly.

She gave him a sardonic smile. "There's your first lesson on getting past guards." She handed him a .45 for his left hip, a 35 mm Glock for his right hip, and a small, light semiautomatic to sling over his back. His baggy blazer covered them all easily.  She did the same, pulling a loose trenchcoat over all, and the weapons on her body were covered as well. She spoke into her headset.

"Grinder. We're ready to go in."

"Okay, guys. Look above you. There should be a vent."

They looked up. Sure enough, there was a ventilation shaft that curved around and down the wall.

"We see it."

"Okay. According to the hack, it should lead straight down to the subbasement without activating any alarms. It'll be about a ten-minute crawl. I'll tell you where to come out."

"Gotcha."

Alex hoisted Alexis on his shoulders, pushing her up into the shaft, and she reached for his hand afterward, pulling him upward with surprisingly little strain. The two began to crawl. Alex felt cramped. The vent was only about as wide as he was, and very tight. What seemed like an hour ticked by. Finally, they heard Grinder's voice. 

"Okay, there should be a vent coming up. You'll be coming out into the boiler room of the second subbasement."

"Are there any guards?"

"I'm reading two. I'm going to activate the security system, though, so hopefully they'll be distracted and leave."

"Good idea." 

Alex and Alexis reached the vent just as the loud, shrill blaring of a siren went off, ricocheting off of the metal walls of the vent. Alexis and Alex involuntarily clamped their hands over their ears, and kicked in the vent, dropping to a dusty wood floor below. Aside from the boiler and a series of pipes, the room was completely empty. The door was wide open, however- a testimony to the fact that someone had run out.

"Bad time to visit, hunh?" Alex quipped as the two regained their footing.

"Yeah, we should've called first, I think." They smirked and headed for the door, pistols drawn. Their joking was just a front to cover nervousness- Alex's heart was pounding, and Alexis was biting her lip. They carefully slid out the door around the wall. A long corridor stood in front of them, apparently empty. Grinder's voice crackled through their headpieces, and they both jumped. "Alex, Alexis," his voice sounded urgent. "Your backup was sent in through the other side- and they're DEAD! You've got to get out-"

And his transmission ended in static. "Grinder. GRINDER!" Alex yelled, his voice cracking. 

No answer.

Alexis and Alex locked eyes. "Should we try the vent again?" Alex whispered. 

"I-"

All of a sudden, they heard a _ping, _and the corridor was flooded with light.

*****************************************************

"_Shit!"_

With a frustrated curse, Grinder ripped off his headset and slammed it down on the seat, typing frantically on his laptop. "The system's fired," he hissed to Agent Reynolds, who was his backup in the car. "It was interrupted by some harsh electrical surge of some sort. I can't get a signal at all!"

Reynolds nodded and said something into his wrist communicator. "I'm sending backup for them."

"There's no time, you fool!" Grinder slammed the laptop shut and reached into the backseat for a black leather duffel lying on the seat.

"What are you doing, Mr. Sinclair?" 

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Grinder pulled out a pair of pistols, looking to see if they were loaded.

"Mr. Sinclair, I must advise you-"

"Look, backup's _not_ going to make it in time! We have to get them out _now._" 

"Mr. Sinclair-" Reynolds put a restraining hand on his arm. "I must advise you otherwise. We know nothing about what just happened in there! Your job is to keep the systems up- _please_ sit down and do it."

Grinder shook him off and leapt out of the car, hearing the man scream for backup even as he tore down the lawn. Fidget was already running towards him, obviously having received the same signal he had. She tossed him a bulletproof vest, racing for the entrance. They pushed past the bouncers and burst into the club, pistols drawn. Grinder looked around at the crowd, then leapt on a chair. "This is police!" he yelled, brandishing his pistols. "We've received reports of a bomb threat in this building. You have to evacuate at once!"

As the screaming patrons burst out of the front exits, repeating his words in Dutch, Grinder and Fidget headed for the boiler room, then saw the open vent. Grinder pushed Fidget up and hoisted himself up, breathing hard. He'd never been your most athletic guy- and right now, he was working purely on adrenaline. 

Sucking in a breath, the two made the crawl and jumped down into the boiler room.

It was completely empty. 

Fidget and Grinder moved stealthily through the corridor leading from the room, guns drawn. They were barely breathing. As they crept upward, the air remained silent- eerily so. The only noticeable thing was the smell in the air- it was faintly smoky, almost like the scent of burning cloth- or hair. Coughing slightly, Fidget put her hand over her mouth.

That's when they both tripped over something lying in the hall. A young, blonde woman in a sequined dress. 

Fidget dropped to her knees and rolled her over. "Oh my God," she breathed, eyes wide. "It's Diana!"

Grinder bent over, pressing his fingers to the woman's neck. "She has a pulse."  He pulled off his shirt and tossed it over her, noting a tiny dart sticking out of her left breast, though her dress. He grabbed the head and pulled it out. "A sleeping dart." They quickly dragged her close to the wall, out of sight, and turned on her transmitter. 

Continuing along the corridor, they saw the other members of Diana's backup team in the same state, deep in tranqulized-induced sleep. Justifiably freaked out now, they stepped over the fallen bodies and continued on their way, ready to shoot at the least provocation. The corridor widened- then led to a large room tiled exquisitely in white-and-blue Egyptian-style mosaics, furnished with comfortable.-looking yoga cushions and padded chairs.

"Lord," breathed Grinder in shock.

A struggle had obviously taken place in the room. Bullet shells littered the floor, bullet holes were in both the floor and wall, shattering the tile.  Some of the furniture was ripped, as if someone had trampled on it and ripped it, or if there had been some knifeplay. And worse of all- there were streaks of now-drying blood- both on the walls and on the floor.

Grinder bent over and picked up a delicate, white-gold chain that lay broken on the floor, turning it over in his hand.

"Alexis," he muttered. Both their faces were grim.

All of a sudden they both heard a low hiss, and a colorless mist filled the air. They slumped to the floor, overcome by the vapor.

And all went black.

Well! R&R people! Find out what happens next!!


	4. Captives

Disclaimer: I own nothing, as stated in above chapters. My plans for taking over Fox kids currently have gone nowhere, but I'm still working on it.

Rating: PG-13

Sorry for the delay in updating chapters….college sucks. In a huge way. Well, here goes!

"Unnnggghhh………"

Diana woke up, her head as if in a haze of smoke.

_What am I doing…….what?_

All of a sudden she came to with astonishing clarity. _Alex!_ She struggled to her feet. Still dressed in her sequined gown, she looked around furtively. There was no one in the corridor, and she was lying in a dark, hidden corner, where she had apparently been dragged. Slightly to her left was a dart that she recognized as a tranquilizer- she reached for it and picked it up. It was half-full.

_Someone must have pulled it out of me, _she realized with a sickening rush. She remembered herself and her team being ambushed in the corridor of the subbasement, then being shot in the chest with a dart. But where was her team? She glanced around, seeing no signs of life.

"God….." picking up her communicator, she spoke into it. "Passenger to Agent 227. Passenger to Agent 227. Can you hear me?"

"Diana?" a man's slightly panicked voice sounded, blaring loudly into her ear. She jumped. "Rikki?" Where was Agent Reynolds?

"Yeah, it's me." He took a deep breath. "We thought you were dead. And we can't find the others- they disappeared from surveillance! Agent Reynolds is trying to track them down. You're the only one left- unless there's someone there with you."

"Oh, God……" Diana took a deep breath. "I don't……there's no one down here with me, Rikki."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." The corridor held no sign of life.

"Okay. Get back up here. Are you okay? Do you to be extracted?" 

"I….no." now that the wooziness had worn off, Diana had a raging headache, but no other ill effects. "I'll be right up."

Taking one last look over her shoulder, she hitched up her long skirt and ran to find an exit.

                                                **************************************************************************

Pain.

Hot, searing pain.

That was the first sensation that Action Man felt when he came to, aside from an intense coldness that gripped his legs.

_Oh……my…….Lord…it hurts….._

"Mr. Mann?"

At the sound of his name, he tried to turn his head, to speak, but it was impossible. His body hurt too much……

"You took quite a beating."

It took Alex a moment to place the pleasant-sounding, calm male voice in his throbbing skull, but when he did…….

_"X?" _he managed to mutter.

The man chuckled, his voice undercut with slight malice. "Yes."

_You bastard, _Alex wanted to say. But he couldn't. He felt as if his tongue was filling his mouth, closing his throat. He sucked in a desperate lungful of air, then nearly doubled over from the pain that licked across his ribcage. _Oh, God….._

"Hurts, doesn't it?" X said maliciously. Somewhere in the back of his consciousness, Alex became aware of X moving away from him. "Where's……where is……"

"Miss Sinclair?"

Alex licked his lips. To his surprise, he tasted the metallic, coppery flavor of his own blood- they must be cracked, or split. When he tried to move them, they felt twice a heavy. "What….what did you _do _to her?" he managed to hiss.

X chuckled and didn't reply. Alex opened his eyes- no great feat, as they seemed sealed shut- _Not with blood, I hope- _and  blinked rapidly, trying to get the swimming images before him to go into focus. X was standing in the corner of a small, pristine white room, chewing on an unlit cigar, dressed in his usual gadget suit. Alex was laying on the only piece of furniture in the room- a table, to which he was strapped. 

"The two of you gave us quite a fight, Mr. Mann," he said, blandly. "We were ready for you this time, though, as you can see."

Alex winced. He remembered very well. The ambush in the corridor. Alexis' surprised scream as fourteen trained assassins came down upon them, grunting orders other in Russian. The fight that had ensued, his inability to use his amp factor in the small room……and the brutal beating that had come as a result. Thankfully, the butt of one man's baton had knocked him out cold, rendering him unable to feel at least the last part of it. 

_Alexis! _He remembered that she was still fighting bravely when he was knocked out, using her martial arts and actually managing to shoot one of them…..where _was _she? He had to find her.

Alex squirmed and tried to sit up. To his surprise, he wasn't strapped or tied down, but with the pain his body was in now……it was impossible for him to get up. X smirked.

Alex then attempted to roll over, but was stopped by fresh onslaught of pain to his ribs- and nearly slid to the floor. The table was slick with a dark, strong smelling fluid…..

His own blood.

"Oh, _fuck……." _Suddenly nauseous, Alex dry-heaved over the side of the table, nearly passing out from the pain as he did so. He lifted his throbbing arms and stared at them in horror. They were covered with bruises and cuts, and all the uncovered skin on his torso was battered as well.  He could only imagine what his legs looked like…..

His _legs……._

Suddenly panicked, Alex raised one leg, then the other. Thank God, they were both there- and apparently, not broken. His _ribs _on the other hand…..he reached up and touched his face. His hand came away sticky with blood.

"You are quite a sight," X said, gravely. Alex had almost forgotten that he was in the room. "I do not know why you insisted on fighting my henchmen."

Alex glared at him. "Where is Alexis, X?" His body was still wracked with spasms, but his head was surprisingly clear and free of pain.

X ignored the question. "Really, Mr. Mann, I though you too intelligent to be taken in by one of my schemes. I thought it obvious that the lead you had was a trap. But of course, you _did _make the mistake of working for the CIA." He smirked.

"Why am I here, X?" More fluid was dripping from Alex's mouth with every word he said, and he found it easier to talk, though no less painful. Taking on an aura of false bravado, he glared defiantly up at him through his good eye- the other one was swollen shut. "What's your twisted scheme, this time?" _And why haven't you killed me yet?_ He asked mentally.

"Oh, _Alex._" Dr. X shook his head, walked up to the younger man, and looked into his eyes with an expression that made his blood chill. Then he smiled, taking Alex's chin between his cold, slender fingers. "I have _so _much planned for you. No, you're not going to die. At least, not now. I need you _very _much alive."

Alex felt his stomach churn.

X turned around and let out a bellow. "Azazi!" 

The young woman, dressed in her signature skin-tight ensemble, slunk into the room, a slight smile one her pouting lips. "Yes, boss man?"

"See to it that Mr. Mann is cleaned and given some medical attention. Don't let him die on me."

"The wounds were all superficial. Your men saw to that," she said coolly. 

"Nevertheless, I want him taken care of." He narrowed his eyes at her. "If anything happens to him…..I will hold you responsible."

"Whatever." Azazi watched X go, and then sauntered over to the table. "What's going on, big boy? Long time no see. You look a mess."

"Where's Alexis?" Alex ignored her barbs.

"Looks like you got yourself into a bit of a fight." Azazi ignored his question, then reached under the table and pressed a call button that was there, underneath it. Within seconds, three men, all dressed in white, walked into the room. Their skin was pale, their faces were drawn and they all had an identical lack of expression.

"Fix 'im up." Azazi ordered, pointing to Alex. "Bosses' orders."

The men nodded, and then moved as one, surrounding the table where Alex still lay. Two of them held down his arms- then one pulled a thin syringe out of his lab coat pocket. Alex squirmed weakly, trying to escape, but it was to no avail. The needle plunged into his arm, taking with it all tangible thought and action. 

As he drifted off into a wave of blessed, pain-free unconsciousness, he heard Azazi's voice, vaguely.

"When you get through with him, come with me. We have to get rid of the girl."

_Alexis!_

_……_.but he was already gone.

                                                            ********************************************************

"Fidge? Fidget, luv?"

Fidget Wilson rolled over in bed and groaned. "What, Grinder?" she had been having SUCH a lovely dream. And her bed was so comfortable. _Man, _she was tired….and why did she have _such _a headache already?

"Fidget? Can you talk?"

"Of course I can talk!" What was _wrong _with Grinder! "Can't I sleep in a little more?" Grinder was _such _a rake sometimes.

"Fidget!" he shook her, violently.

She _wanted _to get up…but her head was hurting _so _much. And couldn't Grinder give her a few extra minutes? _I think I need a Tylenol….._she reached for her pillow in order to pull it over her head, but instead of it, her hands grasped a cold, metal surface. _What in the world?_ She opened her eyes.

And was immediately slammed by the most gargantuan headache she'd ever had in her life.

"Oh, _man……"_ Fidget shut her eyes again, and grasped her throbbing forehead.

"Fidge?" Grinder's voice was gentle. "The headache will wear of in a few minutes, luv. Just take deep breaths."

Fidget took in an enormous gulp of air, then repeated the action. To her relief, the aching in her head began to subside. "What-"

"We're in the cargo bay of an aircraft."

"_What?" _ Fidget sat up straight and banged her head on the low ceiling of the hold. "Ouch……" her green eyes filled with tears. In the darkness of the stuffy room, she could vaguely make out Grinder's shape, at her side. "How-?"

"I don't know.  I woke up maybe fifteen minutes ago." 

Fidget tried to remember what had happened- but all she could recall was walking into the basement of the club to fond Alex, then hearing a hiss, feeling a liquid spray coat her face…..

And then she woke up here. 

Fidget didn't move for a minute; and sure enough, she could hear the whirring of an aircraft engine, and felt the dips and sways that often accompany a flight. She grabbed Grinder by the arm. "Where's Alexis and Alex?"

"Don't know." Grinder's tone was uneasy. "How do you feel?"

"Better." The pain had subsided, with only a slight discomfort left in her right temple. She rubbed it. "My headache is practically gone."

"Good."

The teammates sat in silence- really, there was nothing else to do. Fidget could hear her heart pounding, hard. She took in a shaky breath.

"We'll be fine……" with these words, Grinder's large hand came out of the darkness, rubbing her back, but she barely noticed. All her attention was on the small hatch that caught her eye, right above Grinder's head.

"Grinder-"

"I've tried it."

"But with two of us-"

Their argument was interrupted when the hatch popped open all on it's own, and the small room was suddenly flooded with light from above. A tousled blonde head appeared, followed by a pair of skinny shoulders, covered in what appeared to be light armor and a mail shirt. A hand appeared, holding a rod from which the light seemed to be emitting.

"Hey, guys! How's ol' Action-Jerk doing?"

I will update soon sorry for delay review please!


	5. Dr X

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing.

**Rating:** PG-13

_"Tempest?"___

To say that Grinder and Fidget were surprised to see him would have been an understatement to end all end-all understatements_._

Tempest stepped from the entrance of the hold, grinning coldly and raking a hand through his wild, sun-bleached hair. "What's up?" his smug expression was as terrifying as it was ridiculous. Instinctively, Fidget moved closer to Grinder.

Tempest stepped back from the opening, filling the hold with light. "Join me above, won't ya?" he asked.

Neither of them moved.

The menacing look left Tempest's face, and he shot them a singularly irritated look. "Get _up _here," he ordered, his face darkening. "_Now."_

When he pointed his lightening rod at them, Grinder thought it best not to argue. "Come on, Fidge," he muttered. He boosted her up and climbed up himself, using a series of narrow metal strips for handholds and footholds.

They found themselves on the main deck of Tempest's weatherplane. He was alone, and the plane appeared to be flying on autopilot.

Grinder looked sideways at Fidget. There were two of them, and one of Tempest. If they could possibly overtake him and gain control of the plane…..

Fidget nodded slightly.

As a unit, they leapt at Tempest and grabbed him. Fidget sat on him, trying to pin him down, and Grinder struggled to twist his arms behind his back. "What the-!"

Tempest did a surprisingly agile half-twist and managed to get a hold of his lightning rod. "_Don't…move…another…step," _he wheezed. Grinder and Fidget, still on the floor, froze. Grinder shot Fidget an apologetic glance. _Sorry, luv. _Then he shivered. The coolness of the cabin was an indication that they were flying at a very high altitude, and he was still shirtless, having left his sweater behind to cover Diana.

Tempest struggled to his feet, his dignity gone. "Why, you little-" he stared at both of them. "You realize that I am under orders from Dr. X to kill you both by electrocution." He pointed them both to a corner and shackled them to the wall with steel manacles placed there apparently for that purpose.

Grinder and Fidget exchanged a startled look. "So," Grinder finally asked, "X wants to add murder to his charges when he's finally brought in by the CIA? And he sent us a hit man who's barely out of his Pampers?"

Tempest turned scarlet, and Grinder knew that he was on the verge of one of his famous tantrums. "I should kill you now!"

"That so?" Fidget had caught on to Grinder's game. "I suppose that X would punish you for being such a vewy bad wittle boy if you didn't obey his every command, right?" _If I'm going to die, might as well do it shooting off my mouth._

By this time, Tempest had turned a dark purple. He shot off a bolt of lightning so bright that it momentarily filled the cabin, blinding all three of them. "Shut up!" he screamed.

Fidget smirked and spit her gum out on the floor. "Pathetic."

Tempest moved at her as if to hit her with his rod, but instead of exploding in rage, he froze. A crafty smile began to form over his face.

_Uh-oh._

Tempest walked over to his instrument panel, rod still pointed at them. "Don't get any funny ideas," he warned, typing in a series of commands. "I can fry you to the consistency of an onion ring with one jolt, you know."

"What are you doing, Tempest?" Fidget couldn't resist another comment, despite Grinder's warning look. "Need another potty break?"

"I will ignore your so-called attempt at wit," Tempest said with an injured air. He calmly typed in the last command and leaned back against the panel, that too-smug smile still on his face. "Why don't you two take a seat? Our ride shouldn't take that long- I've fired up the jets."

"And where are you taking us, captain?" Grinder asked, sarcastically, pulling on his restraints. The effort proved futile- he wasn't going anywhere.

"You'll find out."

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The first sensation that Alexis Sinclair felt when she came back to consciousness was as if she'd been thrown into a pool of icy water. She reached out and touched her legs. Her skin was cool, yet dry.

_Oh, God…_as she struggled to come back to herself, to open eyelids that now felt like molten lead, she struggled to remember what she'd just been through…

_The nightclub…the ambush…the fight…Alex!_

Where was Alex? She struggled to sit up, and then gasped when a rush of cool air hit her bare chest. She opened her eyes, squinted for a minute in the dim light that surrounded her, and blinked, then looked down.

She was sitting on a bed covered in clean white linen, completely naked except for the sheet that had slid down her body when she'd sat up. Instinctively, she drew her legs in and wrapped her arms around her upper body, shivering. The small, sparsely furnished room was cold. She pushed the sheet aside and examined herself. Except for a slightly sore spot on the inside of her left cheek, she could see no bodily damage.

"Alex?" she called in a shaky voice. Where was Alex and where were her clothes? She vaguely remembered being ambushed and fighting….then nothing. And then she woke up here, in this strange little room. She swung her legs over the side of the bed.

Then she heard a noise that made her freeze.

It was a rustling in the room, and then a sigh, as if someone had shifted in sleep. She grabbed the sheet and quickly wound it around herself, heart pounding. She'd never felt so…vulnerable in all her life. "Who's there?" she called, shakily.

"Miss Sinclair." The voice was low, cultured, and overwhelmingly polite…. A figure emerged from the shadows in the corner of the room, and she caught her breath.

She'd seen his face in countless CIA debriefs, on "Wanted" posters, in newspapers….

It was Dr. X.

He was dressed in his usual attire, a long, black cape covering most of his person. He tilted his head to the side, studying her, and his laser eye caught the dim light and gleamed. He smiled.

Alexis shivered, no longer just because of the cold, but she managed to keep her voice steady when she spoke to him. "Where is Alex, X?"

A faint gleam of admiration appeared in his one good eye, but he hid it quickly. "Don't you want to know why you're here?" he began to move closer to her.

Alexis remembered her training and resisted the urge she had to pull back, to scuttle away. She swallowed. "Where is my partner?"

X acted as if he hadn't even heard her question. "The two of you walked into quite a trap, my dear." He tilted his head and looked at her. "Such shoddy work I would _expect _from Team Extreme, but the CIA? Tsk."

The CIA! Alexis thought suddenly, her terror abating slightly. Her tracking device was sure to be working, and with Desmond on the team…they'd have her out of here in no time…she hoped… "Where are my…I mean, who took my…"

X looked at her face, took in her near-naked body with a glance that seemed to penetrate the sheet, and…smiled. "Ah, yes. Forgive our rudeness in taking your clothing- we couldn't have any trackers here, could we?"

Alexis wrapped her arms around herself, protectively. To her horror, X moved towards her and sat on the bed, so close that she could feel his breath on the side of her neck. He looked her over once again, then smiled, obviously thrilled with the fact that he was making her so uncomfortable. "You're in very good shape, I might add…but don't worry," he said, unwittingly alleviating her greatest fear. "My men and I…were perfect….gentlemen."

_Oh, God…_Alexis hoped she wouldn't disgrace herself by throwing up. And that sore spot on her cheek was beginning to ache even more. She reached up and touched the cheek.

X noticed and spoke. "Ah, yes. I nearly forgot to tell you. We had to yank out one of your back molars. The Novocain must be wearing off."

Tentatively, Alexis slipped her tongue to the back of her mouth. Sure enough, she felt a slick, empty spot where her tooth was supposed to be, and tasted the coppery taste of her own blood.

"Tracking device," X said, casually. "They probably told you it was a cavity."

With a sickening rush, Alexis remembered the medical examination she'd been given when she'd first joined the CIA. How they'd found a "cavity" in her supposedly-perfect teeth, and how they'd had to do a root canal….

_But if they went through all the trouble of removing my trackers, which could mean…,_ she steeled herself and looked Dr. X straight in the eye. "What do you want from me, X?" Then came the hard question. "Are you going to kill me?"

X smirked and lifted her chin, examining her face with absentminded detail. "The thought crossed my mind, especially when you shot one of my most valued henchmen," he said with a shrug. "But…I have other plans for you, and for Mr. Mann."

"Alex is still alive?"

A shadow crossed X's face. "Get up," he ordered, jerking her to her feet.

Startled by his sudden movement and change in attitude, Alexis stumbled, falling against him. She recoiled instantly, but he pushed her away just as fast, then yanked her across the room as he headed for the door. "I don't care if you break your neck, Miss Sinclair," he said, dryly. "Just keep walking."

Alexis made an attempt to tighten her bedsheet around herself while she walked, but X grew impatient with her efforts and yanked it away from her, throwing it on the floor and prodding her onward with his missile arm. "You won't need that where we're going," he snapped. "Keep moving."

The two walked through the door, which led to another small room. This room looked like a doctor's office, with an examination table, a stool, and various medicines and neatly wrapped needles scattered all over a desk. Dr. X indicated the examination table. "Hop on." He noticed her shivering. "Oh, for goodness' sake," he said impatiently, then took off his cape and tossed it to her. She shook her head and wrapped her arms around herself. She'd rather freeze to death.

"Foolish woman. Have it your way." He spoke into a communicator on the wrist of his missile arm. "I need a doctor in here, stat."

Seemingly out of nowhere, a man appeared in a white lab coat, a stethoscope draped around his neck. He took Alexis in with a single glance. "Lay down!" he barked in short, heavily accented English.

Alexis did so, and consequently was subjected to the most invasive clinical examination she'd ever had, all while X looked on. The man listened to her heart, drew her blood, urine and saliva, prodded every crack and crevice of her body, and looked into her eyes, ears, nose and throat. By the time he finished, she was no longer cold- she was shaking, with humiliation. There was no part of her body he'd left untouched or untested, and his hands were as cold and hard as steel.

The doctor washed his hands, dried them, and tossed Alexis a cotton hospital gown, which she gratefully pulled over her head. Then he walked over to conference with Dr. X.

"Is she a suitable subject?" X asked.

The doctor nodded and answered, still in his heavily accented English. "She is beyond suitable. She is in top medical condition, and is very strong. You will have no problems with her."

"And her ability to…be fertile?"

"Her system is perfect, sir."

X nodded. "What of our other…guest?"

_That's Alex!...._Alexis concentrated harder on trying to listen to their puzzling conversation.

"In spite of your beatings, he is in top physical shape." The doctor shook his head. "Once we tended to his wounds…it was nearly impossible for us to hold him down. I heave never seen such a man."

X nodded, as if he doctor was confirming what he'd known all along. "And his teammates?"

Tempest is taking care of them. We shouldn't have any problems form that direction. One got away, however."

"Which one?" X barked, looking up sharply.

"The black-haired one. He was in a getaway car."

X cursed. "We'll see to him later. See that Tempest carries out his duties to the pilot and the girl."

_ Oh, dear God…_he was talking about Desmond and Fidget! _And I can do nothing for them here……_she squeezed her eyes shut and offered up a quick prayer.

She didn't know what X had planned for her…but she knew that it was something…huge. Something mind-boggling….

And from the look in his eye, she and Alex would find out what it was, soon.

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"Yes, I do have them. Yes, I _will _be sure to kill them immeadiately."

Grinder and Fidget exchanged worried glances. From what they could hear of Tempest's side of a conversation with Dr. X, things were _not _looking up for them. Not at all.

Tempest turned off his communicator and turned to them, that sneer still on his face. "Time to get off," he said with a smirk. He began to lower the plane. When he reached a certain altitude, he opened a hatch on the side.

"Where are we, Tempest?" Grinder asked.

Tempest smirked again. "Antarticia. Best vacation spot in the world."

_Antartica__…_Grinder's mouth went dry. He had to be lying. Or was he? Grinder glanced outside and saw nothing but the bright, white glare of unmarked snow, and even from the other side of the cabin, he could feel the cold lick around his bare torso. _We're going to die, _he thought with a sick finality.

Tempest secured the ship in a hovering position and walked over to them, unshackling them from the wall. Fidget and Grinder waited in dread for the bolts of electricity that would end their lives, but to their surprise, they didn't come. Instead, Tempest prodded them over to the now-open hatch.

"Feel the cold?" he mocked. "You get off here, kids."

When they looked at him in shock, he grinned. "Yeah. I know I was supposed to kill you on the spot…but it's much more fun just to drop you off here."

As they stared at the snow in horror, Tempest lifted his rods, and an incredible snowstorm began, filling the air with flying flakes, turning the previously clear night sky into a sea of gray. "I'll give you about thirty minutes before you're dead," he said, casually. "That little blizzard should cover your bodies pretty well."

Fidget froze, horrified at his words, but Grinder acted quickly, twisting and leaping onto Tempest. He wasn't fast enough. Tempest took one of his lightning rods and slammed it into him with all the force in his body, then watched in grim satisfaction as he jerked, stumbled, and fell out of the plane, falling limply into the snowy gray darkness below.

Tears sprang to Fidget's eyes. She pressed her hands to her mouth and stared at him in revulsion, trembling.

"You sick little _fuck," _she hissed, eyes blazing.

For a second, Tempest flinched. Then his eyes narrowed, and he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Bye-bye," he said.

And he pushed her out.


End file.
